Mothering

Congratulations Elizabeth W.! You were randomly selected through the Gleam giveaway app as the winner. I have emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond before I select a new winner.

I was at the library the other day when the sweet librarian says to my baby “Ooooh, you’re so cute! I just want to eat you up. Mmm. And sop you up with a biscuit!”

Weird, no? But I kind of get it. My baby? She’s adorable and I have this instinctive urge to, well, not to eat her…but kiss her a billion times a day. And I’m not kidding when I say it’s an urge…I literally can’t hold her without kissing her every few seconds.

Can any of your other mothers out there relate? Of course you can! But have you ever noticed that it’s more of a mom thing than a dad thing? Sure, my husband kisses our little bubs aplenty, but he doesn’t seem to have quite the drive to smother them with smooches as I do.

Turns out, that’s perfectly normal!

I wrote about this before in this article, but it’s worth reiterating. Breastmilk acts as custom-ordered immune guard for your baby. When a mom interacts with her environment, her body will automatically create antibodies for any germs she encounters. These antibodies are then passed on to the baby through breastmilk, thereby offering the little one a great measure of protection against sickness.

(Y’all, can I just press pause on the breastfeeding stuff and comment on my hair? I love me some natural beauty products, but not all of them are well…umm, good. Like the shampoo I used the morning of this photo session. Ugh…I felt like I was slathering lotion in my hair. Lotion that wouldn’t wash out…but I didn’t realize it until after we’d taken all the pictures. If you want proof that my hair doesn’t always look this sorry, check out this post.)

Anyway, if you’re a mom, and you find yourself with an insatiable desire to kiss your baby all day long, smooch away! That desire is actually a biologically driven instinct with a very important purpose. By kissing your baby, you’re sampling the pathogens on her skin and in her environment and signaling your breast milk to produce the necessary antibodies to protect your baby. (source)

You read that right, you’re kissing your babies to keep them healthy!

Isn’t it amazing how awesome God created breastfeeding?

To celebrate my love for breastfeeding, I’m partnering with Melissa from My Doula Made It for this sweet little giveaway. One Best of Baby winner will get an “Eat Local” onesie and t-shirt from Melissa’s Etsy shop. (Available in different colors and sizes, though some colors/sizes may be limited).

You can read more about Melissa on her doula website, but here is a little snippet:

Melissa is a Certified Birth Doula in Orillia with DONA International, and a mother of two. She has been a Doula for over 5 years and attended 25+ births. With plans to go on to become a Lactation Consultant, she is a breast feeding advocate. Through her Etsy store My Doula Made It, she expresses her creativity and shares her, and other Doula’s, hand made wares.

So mamas, keep on kissing your babies and then celebrate the awesomeness of breastfeeding with these shirts. If you don’t want to take your chances on winning, Melissa is also offering a 15% off any purchase over $20 CAD (about $17 USD) using code BESTOFBABYLOVE.

This piece can now be found on the Huffington Post (Hurrah!). Click HERE if you’d like to check it out there 🙂

The moment you were conceived, you made me a mom.

But as you started to grow, I grew too…and you made me more than a mom.

9 long months of pregnancy. I watched as my flat mid-section turned into a delightful baby bump… and then into a not quite as charming distended belly — a belly that pinched nerves, aggravated joints, and bullied surrounding organs. My once dainty feet swelled from bearing the weight of two humans, then merged upwards into barely identifiable ankles and vein ridden calves. And the exhaustion! Oh such crippling exhaustion. Yet I knew that every symptom was a sign of your growth. A sign that you, my dear child, were flourishing. And so I gladly endured.

You made me long suffering.

Pregnancy culminated in a commencement — the end of your stay in my body, but the beginning of your time in this world. Weeks of feckless and indecisive contractions had me wondering if I’d be pregnant forever. Your approaching due date taunted me, and then laughed in my face as it went on its merry way. But I knew every day you spent inside of me was another day I got to prepare you to take on the world. And so I waited.

You made me patient.

And then, like the first scant rain-drops leading up to an epic thunderstorm, the real contractions started. The drizzle turned to downpour and then reached monsoon proportions…hours upon long hours of toiling, and pain of overwhelming magnitude. There were moments I thought my body would break, moments where my screams surely should have discouraged you from wanting to come out, moments I felt too weak to complete this seemingly endless and insurmountable undertaking. But then, with one final undiluted effort to meet you, you were there. And I knew I was strong.

You made me fierce.

Motherhood this side of the womb began, and with a lurch I was launched into a world of sacrifice. My body, racked by the burdens of pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, would never be the same. The forfeiting of rest as I knew it, replaced by the limitless exhaustion from the very limited sleep. And I raised my white flag as I surrendered the last of my free-time. My days were no longer mine, they were yours, my sweet one. And I knew it was worth it.

You made me selfless

As you grew, I matured too. Every fall, scrape, and bump showed me the power of my hugs and kisses. As I held you through feverish nights or vomit filled days, I felt you draw comfort and relief from my being. And with every nerve-wracking hurdle that we crossed together, your trust in me assured me that I could do this mothering thing. And I knew I was doing it right.

You made me confident.

And watching you grow opened my heart in ways I had never experienced. The first time you reached your chubby arms out to me, my heart filled with warmth at your wordless request for my embrace. When your wavering toddles became sure-footed steps and then confident bounds, I watched with pride as you learned to explore the world from a new altitude. And every smile, every giggle, every full-throated belly laugh pierced my spirit, opening up new portals for happiness to flood my soul. And I delighted in you.

You made me joyful.

When I conceived you, you made me a mom…but your profound impact on my life didn’t stop there. You taught me to be forbearing and long-suffering — that I could be patient and endure. When I thought my body would break, you made me find my inner warrior — proving to me that I was strong. With every sacrifice I made, you helped me learn to die to myself — teaching me to be selfless. With every challenge we overcame, you made me confident that I was well-suited to be your mother. And as you carved out your existence in my life, you made me joyful.

You made me more than a mom.

Disclosure..I took the plunge and did something I said I’d never do, I became a consultant for these headbands, because they’re that awesome (this means that I get a small commission if you use my code, and you get a discount…win/win!).

If you’re here for a Savvy Curls discount code, it’s iuliab1 …enjoy 🙂

Hands up if you love a good curl in your hair…now hands up if you hate actually curling your hair. Yea, me too. I love the full curly look, but hate styling my hair (confession: I actually threw away my curling iron last month). Not only is it bad for your locks (the heat damages, folks!), but let’s be honest…who has the time?! Well, some people do…or at least they make the time. But me? I’d much rather keep a spotless house.

Bahaha ok, I just spit out my coffee (that I’m rather enjoying because I finally got some time to myself. At midnight. Which is probably why I don’t get up early enough in the mornings to even curl my hair)

But really, I definitely don’t have a spotless house. But I also definitely don’t like to spend loads of time every day doing my hair. This gal? LOW MAINTENANCE. I’d prefer zero maintenance, actually, but that would probably be gross.

But I digress. Point is, I love curls, but hate curling. Me and “Mombun” are close friends…as in we hang out together every day, all day long.

But today? Well Mombun was starting to get on my nerves, so I replaced her. Say hello to my new friend “LusciousCurls” :

Oh, did I mention I don’t even own a curling iron? Or curlers? I CURLED MY HAIR WHILE SLEEPING. Call me lazy, but I think I just took low maintenance to a whole new level.

A few wraps….

…will get you this

(and I actually love this look enough that I wear the headband like this most days! It sure beats the Mombun, and it’s just about as easy. Plus it comes in lots of cute colors and designs!)

And a few unwraps…

… will get you this! No heat curls!

Savvy Curls headbands are made with a material that takes advantage of the heat coming off of your own head, so say goodbye to heat damage and hello to no heat curls! And, they’re soft and squishy, so you can comfortably sleep in them. Really…I’m the most persnickety sleeper, but I don’t even notice these at night.

It took a little practice to figure it out (if you want some tips, just ask!), but once I got the hang of it? Easy peasy.

My process is simple:

1) Put a little styling cream or mousse in my slightly damp hair

2) Wrap it up and and wear the headband most of the day (or at night), feeling like a character from Downton Abbey

Excuse me while I clean up some more coffee that I just spit out again.

But really though, this is hands down my favorite hair product. Here’s a helpful video that shows the whole process:

If you’re a mom, or lazy, or both, or neither, or just really like curls (especially no heat curls), you’ll love this thing. (oh, and it’s great for kids too…they come in kid sizes for easy, no fuss curls!) If you purchase one, use coupon code iuliab1 for a discount when you checkout🙂

(Yep, I love it so much I signed up to be a consultant, which I swore from here to eternity that I’d never do because I don’t really like talking to people, but guys, these rock. It’s worth becoming an extrovert for.)

Everyone is always saying how motherhood is the hardest thing ever, but I’m calling bluff. I mean, if it were so hard, wouldn’t women would just stop having babies? Yet there’s still all this chit chat about over-population, so obviously we keep on popping out the progeny. And if people are still making babies, it can’t really be that hard. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say motherhood is downright easy!

10 Reasons Motherhood is the Easiest Ever

1) You mess something up? Oh, no biggie. You can throw out the “motherhood induced neurological disorder” card, and get a free pass. “Oops! I forgot to turn the oven on and now we’re having E.coli chicken for dinner. *chuckle chuckle* Mommy brain!”

2) If you’re a breastfeeding mom, for 6 months straight you get to feed your baby without having to actually make a single meal. I mean, you don’t even have to open a fridge door. Actually, you don’t even have to get out of bed. That’s right, you can feed your baby LAYING DOWN.

3) During pregnancy people fawn over you. “Oh don’t lift that box…it’s too heavy!” and “Here, why don’t you just put your feet up.” Some stores will even give you a special parking spot close to the entrance. It’s basically 9 months of pampering and relaxation.

4) Forget heels and pencil skirts, sweats and tank tops are a completely appropriate uniform. In fact, the occasional pajama day is acceptable too.

5) Personal hygiene standards are way lax. It’s par for the course to have bags under your eyes, crumbs in your hair, and spit up down the front of your shirt. You can totally get away with looking frumpy.

6) And the house? Well you have kids now…people expect you to have sticky surfaces and a living room full of toys. The pressure is off! Messy is the new-normal, so your obligation to clean is drastically reduced.

7) If you’re caught sleeping at work, you’ll likely be fired. But as a mom, the occasional mid-day nap is not only fine, but even encouraged. “Sleep when the baby sleeps!” they say…what other job allows you that liberty?

8) You have so much free time. Everyone knows that all babies do is sleep! So after you’ve taken your coordinated naps (see # 7) you have the remainder of your baby’s sleep time to pursue your own interests or just relax! (And remember, no one actually expects you to have a clean house anyway)

9) Beyond nap time and leisure pursuits, the majority of your daily responsibilities include playing, coloring, going for walks, and visits to the park. Tough schedule, huh.

10) And obviously, because being a mom is so easy, you have another baby. Then things get even easier! People line up to bring you meals, help out with laundry, and watch the kids so you can take a nap (again with the napping!). It’s almost like a vacation.